Brewers closer Francisco Rodriguez pitches during the top of the ninth Friday against the Cubs at Miller Park. / Getty Images

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Gannett Wisconsin Media

He’s not quite the K-Rod of old, but Francisco Rodriguez is as dominant as ever. And so is the Brewers’ bullpen.

Over 16 appearances, the 32-year-old closer has converted all 13 of his save opportunities, giving up just seven hits and four walks over 16 innings with 23 strikeouts. This week, he made four appearances, picking up four more saves while striking out five batters and allowing three to reach base.

Rodriguez has been the team’s best pitcher this month and the best closer in baseball. But he’s not the only Brewer dominating in relief.

Milwaukee’s bullpen is fourth in the league with a 2.45 ERA and 1.08 WHIP through 28 games. Opponents are hitting just .205 against Brewers relievers, with a .268 on-base percentage, numbers that are good for third and second in the league.

Joining Rodriguez in delivering spectacular results so far has been 25-year-old right-hander Tyler Thornburg and 24-year-old lefty Will Smith. The two have formed one of the most dominant young pitching duos in baseball, combining to allow just two runs on 13 hits over 27 innings.

Thornburg has struck out 17 batters with five walks, while Smith has 18 strikeouts against eight walks.

Putting together a good bullpen is far from an exact science. What may look like a good bullpen on Opening Day could fall apart by June 1. This year, Brewers general manager Doug Melvin appears to have gotten it right. And it’s paying huge dividends in Milwaukee.

Player of the week: Carlos Gomez

With usual starters Jean Segura, Ryan Braun and Aramis Ramirez all going down with injuries this week, the offense has come from a number of unusal sources.

Left fielder Khris Davis, for example, delivered big hits and scored the go-ahead run in both Monday’s and Tuesday’s wins for the Brewers.

Continuing to swing a hot bat this week has been Gomez, who went 8-for-26 with a pair of home runs and three RBIs while also scoring five runs and stealing a base. Gomez homered in back-to-back games in St. Louis as the Brewers took two out of three from the Cardinals.

Stat of the week:

• 13. Rodriguez’s season save total, tying the Major League record for most saves before the end of April and setting a new franchise record for saves over the same span.

They said it

• Gomez, on the team’s hot start: “We showed the world how good we are, and now people have to respect us. We're not here to contend. We're not here to make the playoffs. We're here to make the World Series.'”

• Infielder Mark Reynolds on the tight-knit Brewers: “People underestimate what team chemistry can do for a team. Just look at what it did for Boston last year.'”

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• Catcher Jonathan Lucroy on the team’s potential: “I think we got a little bit of a chip on our shoulder. There's an air of confidence about us when we take onto the field. We're going to ride this horse as far as we can.”

• Rodriguez on his resurgent season: “I never went away. But I think a lot of people forgot about me.”

Wei-Chung Wang Wednesday video of the week

The Brewers’ relievers have decided to make Wei-Chung Wang Wednesday a weekly feature. This week they filmed a dance video in front of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.